Here are more facts that show our never ending learning incapabilities:

1. An incumbent president actually ran for a congressional seat and won!
2. A famous boxer knocked out his opponent and is now known as Congressman Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao.
3. An ousted former president ran again for president and was the strongest rival of the president-elect. We almost made world-wide headlines again if this president wanna-be actually won.
4. Sympathy actually won President-elect Noynoy Aquino the much coveted seat.
5. Sympathy was the downfall of supposed to be strongest presidential rival of Noynoy, Manny Villar. Noynoy’s mother paved his way to success while Villar’s mother was his downfall.

I have every faith in the Filipino people, we have shown our strength of heart to other countries again and again, Edsa 1, 2, 3 said it all. But as with everything, this so called people power revolution is getting a little stale. There were some rumors of President Gloria’s so-called plan to take over the congress as speaker of the house and change the constitution which might call for another Edsa, also if Aquino did not win, people will actually try for an Edsa 4. This is absolutely ridiculous and would definitely make us the world’s laughingstock. After everything, what now?

2. We still don’t have an official President and Vice-President. The who’s who of Philippine fame are still debating over who cheated and won or who cheated but didn’t win. By virtue of Philippine Politicians, whoever won is most probably a cheater and the ones who lost can pay some unlucky person to pose as a whistle-blower complete with mask and voice changer.

3. Its actually raining! We complained about the heat of the sun and prayed for rain to come, now torrents of rain are actually coming down and of course, we complain about the flood the way we do everything else. We never learn, do we?

4. Dengue! Well, its not actually new, but it comes with the rain. I hope it doesn’t come knocking on our doors again.

5. I am actually blogging. After weeks of hiatus, I have actually talked my self into writing something… anything… A blogs gotta pay for its space, you know… Virtual real estate doesn’t come cheap.

Given that some of us are going out of their way to foster change, causing ripples which might eventually turn into waves. Focus on the word “might”. Every little thing counts, every person no matter how small will eventually make their mark. But we have to admit that we as a people is a people easily enamored to fireworks. We more often than not let our emotions overtake our minds, now this particular quality has endeared us to many – “The Passionate Filipino People”. But this particular quality also spells our doom. The heart should always be coupled with the mind, a heartless mind is a corrupted mind but a mindless heart is a heart of doom.

With the elections just two days away, we have to make the right decision using both heart and mind. Are we going to choose a leader because the emotions of many are urging us to do so or are we going to go with our mind and choose a leader who might lead us out of corruption? Call me a pessimist but it is my belief that not one politician hasn’t played with fire. Corruption is well embedded into Philippine politics that getting away from it takes more than the will to change, it takes the will to actually act and change. People who tasted power no matter how small will eventually taste corruption and little by little like a wound festering, it will eventually corrupt not just their way of thinking but their whole being as well. To borrow from a famous saying, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

The question now is, “Will you make the right choice and will that choice be made by a mindless heart, a heartless mind or with your mind and heart?”

Are you willing to actually act to change? Or will you just speak and think of change and do nothing? The choice is yours, but will you make the right one?

Lots of questions, but the main thing is: “Will your vote actually count?”

I once said that I would stop myself from talking about  Philippine Politics or at least, what seems to be left of it, but the events, the newspaper headlines in print and online, the news report, the blogs these last few days are all abuzz over this latest craze: Yammering about the supposedly $20,000 Le Cirque dinner tab of President Gloria Arroyo which might have been paid with taxpayers’ money or supposedly paid by Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.

Surely, a $20,000 (Php 940,000.00 at $1:Php 47) dinner tab is too much and might literally be too much to stomach for the average Filipino. Quoting Binay: “What they did was deplorable, especially if taxpayers’ money was spent. If they spent private money, what they did was in bad taste and again showed insensitivity to the millions of Filipinos who face hunger daily.” I agree, if taxpayers’ money were spent it would certainly be deplorable, but if it was paid supposedly through the personal money of Romualdez, who from the looks of him could definitely afford it, its another thing. The Leyte Representative played host to Pres. Gloria and the rest of their party and as a guest, it would be in bad taste if you are going to ask how much your host  is willing to pay nor how much he paid for the food you, the guest, ate.

I don’t really envy Gloria her predicament, but if she hadn’t paid for the dinner and if it is really true that she was just a guest of Romualdez, then eating at a fancy restaurant and pushing the tab up to the supposedly extravagant tab of $20,000.00 is not grounds for impeachment. I am not a fan of how she runs the country but if one is to choose the lesser evil, I would go with her. You see, I don’t want an alreay sleazy, showbiz-like politics to get even sleazier, and although some of her actions are done in bad taste, being a guest and enjoying the prestige that goes with being the president even if it was just that of a third world country is never wrong.

If I were a guest and am going to enjoy the lavish spread in front of me, I wouldn’t count the amount of peso that goes with every serving, I would enjoy every inch of it, I would taste every dish and if I were given the chance to choose the wine to go with the lavish dinner I am about to enjoy, you bet I would choose the most expensive one. And if I am going to be the host for a president I would definitely give the best that I can afford, its the president for crying out loud! What would people think if I am going to have a president eat a student meal priced at Php 40.00 or less than a dollar, or how about a $2 shawarma? That I believe would definitely be in bad taste. It does not matter if that president is from a third world country where people are supposedly dying of hunger, where one family of four could eat three times a day for approximately $2.50, you as a host would have to give a dignitary the best that you can afford. C’mon people, if you spend thousands of pesos for a party, for a dress, for a designer bag, for shoes, do you think about the poor people who could have eaten a square meal for the amount that you spent? A single cup of coffee could feed a family for a day – do you think about that when you drink your coffee and socialize with your friends? Get real!

Of course, being the president, Gloria certainly has to think about the predicament of her people but does that mean not eating anything priced above a student meal? And of course the dinner was lavish which is just right considering the people attending it. If you were to host a dinner for dignitaries, would you serve them student meals? I certainly hope not…

Hayden Kho and Mr. Twinkie

I am not going to turn into a shoulder to cry on for those women who starred in Hayden Kho’s all new series, called “The Screening Room”, they were (ir)responsible individuals who shared Hayden Kho’s raging hormones. They knew what they were doing and most probably know that Hayden is an ass with a friend called Twinkie, The Kid, (of Famous Twinkie fame) hiding, peeping from down below.

But this Twinkie owner upped the ante by bringing in his other friend, Mr. Focus who loves to focus on Hayden’s friend Twinkie and his escapades while hiding in dark corners doing who knows what else. These three best friends are in on a secret with those damsels in distress (?) as their victims. These damsels are in distress only because they were had! And I mean, THEY’VE BEEN HAD IN A REALLY BIG WAY! These damsels, particularly Katrina Halili should not go all out and seek the help of political bigwigs who are just too eager to be in the spotlight regardless of the situation what with the presidential elections fast approaching, just because they’ve been had. Welcome to the Philippines, where sex scandals involving famous names are glorified and politicians are eager foxes in puppy clothing waiting for the kill. These type of politicians, I abhor! But that is for another post.

I digress, to continue… Those willing, hormone-raging beauties were had in a really big, world wide web way. They had their fun, Hayden and his twinkie had their fun but Mr. Focus was ready to get in on the action and he has to get it on and get it out of his system. One mister nice guy is more than willing to help Mr. Focus dump his baggage and his name is Mr. Webbie, well Mr. Webbie has a vast network of voyeurs and these voyeurs know this guy and this guy knows a certain someone who is connected to this other person who knows this famous actress who is one of the damsels and was willing to leak it to the proper channel so everything is blown out of proportion. You know how it is, showbiz is well connected to politicians, you get my drift.

Now, everything is trying to get a bite of the cookie while it is hot. A blown-out scandal is front page news, headline on tv and was even featured in a special dissection all on its own – Only in the Philippines. Now, Hayden Kho, Mr. Twinkie and Mr. Focus were stupid, really stupid – who would in their right minds give access to their personal “scorching hot” files? Anyone in their right minds would never get a gem of an opportunity pass them by without uploading it and sharing it to the whole wide world. Not to forget that it’s also a great way to earn quiet a bit of money. There are thousands of websites who are willing to pay a hefty amount for such files and I wouldn’t put it above Hayden Kho to actually consider it. I know I wouldn’t…

Those damsels, in my opinion should just shut their trap. Of course I am outraged, don’t get me wrong, I am a woman and I do believe that what Hayden did to these women is despicable and he should be reprimanded and sentenced to the full extent of the law but I also believe that these women knew what they were doing and should tell people who look down on them to shut the F*** up! Are people really that shallow minded that just because they saw a familiar girl on a sex scandal they would immediately think that that girl is a slut? The average person would watch a sex video at least once in their lives and have sex before they die, is the act really different from what these damsels were doing? Are famous names really that important when it comes to sex scandals? Its so irritating! I never wanted to write this post but then again, I did.That’s how irritating it is. The main question now is, what is the full extent of the law? The Philippines, last I heard, do not have any law that prohibits the uploading of sex videos. So, is the full extent of the law taking Hayden Kho’s license as a doctor?

Or are they planning to arrest him for illegally brandishing a non-lethal weapon? And what will these damsels do? Will putting Hayden Kho behind bars really sooth their agony? Will it erase the videos from torrent and file sharing sites? Will it erase the files from millions of hard drives? Will it erase the fact that millions of people have seen them in their birthday suit doing acts that would most probably bring another birthday suit brandishing individual if they’re not careful?

And yeah, I did not see Mr. Twinkie donning a protective coat, so that does mean that those damsels are doing the protecting part? Hmmm…

Me thinks, everyone should just shut their trap its way out of proportion already and yeah, Malacanang should put their hands where they belong. This issue is not for them to take care of.

It makes me stop and think what “largely peaceful” means… With the recent violence caused by the over zealous candidates and their cohorts coupled with say a bottle or two of beer… If this is what “largely peaceful means”, it makes me cringe to know what “somewhat peaceful” may mean.

Anyway, according to  news reports, over 60% Filipinos exercised their rights to vote. Not bad… What happened to the other say 35-40%? Sad to say but I am a part of the minority, I was not able to vote because of very valid reasons. I know I should vote, if only to exercise my rights.  But…

Voting is very important especially in a country such as ours. With all those maleducated* public officials, we simply need to use our votes to vote them out of position. I know there is no such word as maleducated, but I simply couldn’t think of one single word that perfectly defines public officials who are very educated but lacks the ability to use that education into something good for the country, they use it for their own good only.

*FYI: For those who may not know it the prefix mal- indicates wrongness, badness or illness.

You may have your own reasons for not voting as I do, but to those people who did not vote because they simply do not care… Shame on you! Everything bad that is happening in our country right now should be blamed on you. “Not caring” is like cancer spreading throughout the Philippine Archipelago, I wonder how much time it will take before it engulfs everything in its path…

To everyone, start to care, let your votes count to make our future count. I may be too late for the barangay election but not too late for the next election.  Its never too late to start caring.

Whereas this administration has a policy of releasing prisoners who have reached the age of 70,

Whereas Joseph Ejercito Estrada has been under detention for six and a half years,

Whereas Joseph Ejercito Estrada has publicly committed to no longer seek any elective position or public office,

In view hereof, and pursuant to the authority conferred upon me by the Constitution, I hereby grant executive clemency to Joseph Ejercito Estrada, convicted of plunder by the Sandiganbayan of plunder and imposed the penalty of reclusion perpetua.

He is hereby restored to his civil and political rights. The forfeitures imposed by the Sandiganbayan remain in force and in full, including all writs and processes issued by the Sandiganbayan in pursuance hereof, except for the bank accounts he owned before his tenure as President.

Upon acceptance of this pardon by Joseph Ejercito Estrada, this pardon shall take effect. Given under my hand, at the City of Manila, this 25th day of October, in the year of our Lord, 2007.

Signed,
Gloria M. Arroyo

Attested,
Ignacio R. Bunye,
Acting Executive Secretary.

According to the Philippine Constitution(1987):

Absolute Pardon is the total extinction of the criminal liability of the individual to whom it is granted without any condition; it restores to the individual his civil and political rights and remits the penalty imposed for the particular offense of which he was convicted.

To be considered for Absolute Pardon a convicted person must first serve his maximum sentence or  granted final release and discharge or court termination of probation. However, the Board may consider a petition for absolute pardon even before the grant of final release and discharge under the provisions of Section 6 of Act No. 4103, as amended, as when the petitioner:

(1) is seeking an appointive/elective public position or reinstatement in the government service

(2) needs medical treatment abroad which is not available locally

(3) will take any government examination

(4) is emigrating

Now out with the legal hullaballo, what the heck are they thinking?! I have expected an absolute pardon for Erap say maybe a year after but not this!

What happened to those millions of pesos spent trying to convict Erap of his crimes? What happened to those years spent “reviewing” the case? And what happened to that so-called “triumph for Philippine Justice” day, the day when Erap was finally convicted? They are all for naught, all those money, all those time… Such a waste. And to think that those pesos are from the pockets of the Filipino people makes it a lot worst.

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought that Absolute Pardon comes with a full admission of guilt. According to the law, I am right. But since clemency is a discretionary power of the President and is almost limitless… Thus, a president can make the terms of the clemency as generous as she wants it to be.

President Macapagal-Arroyo must be feeling very generous for offering Erap Executive Clemency tailored to what he wants: No admission of guilt.

Now, what do you think of the Philippine Government and its Judicial System?

They’re at it again. Just another disastrous concoction straight from the annals of Philippine Politics. A Priest turned Governor turned in half a million peso worth of “gift” money with a big question, “What is it for?”

Are they for real? Bribing a Priest and all that? Well, ladies and gents, its just another day for Philippine Corrupted Politics in action. Seeing the news on TV, it made me disgusted with Philippine Politics anew but in a way, it made me smile. At least, someone in the murky waters of Philippine Politics is doing the right thing. Gov. Eddie Panlilio, priest turned Governor of Pampanga, is now number one in my list of favorite people in Philippine Politics. And mind you, it takes a lot to make it to my list. To do what he did takes a lot of courage and it would do our country good if we have more government officials like him.

I did not approve of the church entering politics before but if all priest turned officials would be like Gov. Panlilio, I would be the number one supporter of those church leaders who are planning on entering politics. Maybe this is what our government needs, a “faith transfusion” to counter all those evil lurking in the hallways of our government. I only have one thing to say to those trying to bribe a priest, “Shame on you!”

I am not a judge and would never pretend to be the judge of someone that I only know in the papers and television. Although, I admit, I have heard enough to make a decent judgment about the doings of these people. These people who are officials in our country, these people who are responsible for making the laws that govern our daily lives, these people who we have elected into position, these people who are taking our money to fund their pockets.

These very people are at each other’s throats, practicing the famous Filipino “Crab Mentality” – the bane of our nation. They may look fine and dandy, singing praises about their projects and selves but they are nothing but power-hungry officials on the lookout for the freshest and most profitable deal, and always, always on the lookout for other power-hungry individuals to be their scapegoat. They bribe and accept bribes, they make under the table deals, but when the tables are turned, they are like sheep scattered by wolves. Hiding behind a mask of indifference until such time that they have no where to run or if a tattletale comes out of hiding and tells his version of the story – then all hell breaks loose.

Such is the destiny of our country – to be ruled by power-hungry men and power-hungry tattletales. They are one and the same, it just depends on the angle you’re looking at. The tattletale may seem to be the hero for uncovering a misdeed by his fellow. A multi-billion deal must have been very impressive and very profitable and to be declined would make me a tattletale – that is my opinion.

The question now is, “What is your opinion?”

I am a Filipino and will always be proud to be one. The government is not the only indication of goodness in a particular country but more often than not, the way a government projects itself becomes the basis of other country’s perception. Sad but true. Really good, heart-warming news stories deserving to be on the front page get pushed to the side by the corruption that is overwhelming the country right now. I am particularly partial to news editors because I have been one a few years back, and I know that it is their work to give their readers up-to-date news of what is hip and happening at the moment. But what badgers me is the fact that some editors seem to relish rubbing it in. We, Filipinos, do not really need to know what that particular senator’s closet skeleton is, nor do we need to see the way our public officials grill and tear each each other apart. It is depressing, very depressing. Reading and watching the news, you would think that the Philippines is a very corrupt country with fights and murders happening everywhere. But that is not the case, if you are not particularly up-to-date with the news, your life would be very peaceful. All you would see is the good in our country.

Corruption is something that every country could not escape. With power and money comes corruption – that is a fact. It is a very sad fact that the Philippines is known not for its very hospitable people, nor its beautiful natural resources but by its corruption. Don’t you think it is time for us to rethink our future? Do we really want our children to live in a country where corruption and corrupt men flourish and good men do nothing? I know, I don’t.

What went wrong with Philippine Politics? Simple, corruption and corrupted men driven by money and power are in power because good politicians, men who are not swayed by the strong lure of money and power do nothing. They just stand there, watching, thinking of ways to stop the corruption that they are witnessing – but doing nothing. I admire those who go out of their way to expose corruption at the expense of their lives. They are people who could not stand to just be on the sidelines, to be puppets. I admire their courageous hearts. It is my wish that more good politicians will stand up and be good leaders. Good leaders do not wait and watch on the sideline, they assert their rights and they do something about it. Good leaders are those who possess great minds, and a courageous and good heart. Philippine Politics would not come to the way it is now if we have more of those good leaders.